Bahrain participates in the 5th UN Alliance of Civilizations in Austria

The Kingdom of Bahrain is set to partake in the 5th Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) slated to be held in Vienna Austria from 26-28 February 2013. The Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for International Affairs and the Alliance Friends’ liaison officer, Ambassador Karim Ibrahim Al-Shakar, leads the Kingdom of Bahrain’s delegation to the forum. The forum is expected to discuss cultural, civilization, media, youth-related issues, migration, challenges facing peaceful coexistence, tolerance, freedom of religion as well as hate campaigns against Islamic (Islam-o-phobia). Review will be carried out of implementation of plans pertaining to regional and national strategies of the UNAOC as well as regional and international cooperation to achieve the desired goals and objectives. Topics of discussion also include national efforts in the fields of education, migration, respect of religious sanctities, cultural diversity, responsible journalism and combating hatred, intolerance and racial or religious extremism. The fight against all acts of terrorism objectionable to all religious beliefs, national or ethnic identities will also be discussed. The UNAOC forum is habitually held on an annual basis with participation of governments, NGOs and the private sector. The forum was held for the first time in 2005 following the UN General Assembly (UNGA)'s Resolution No.: 4/60/2005 at the behest of Spain and Turkey in order to bridge the gap between civilizations and cultures to prevent any clash between civilizations.